Golf tourism goldmine

Talk is cheap, but money buys the whiskey.

With four quality golf courses in close proximity to the King Shaka International Airport, and year round warm weather, the Ilembe district, and more specifically KwaDukuza, is sitting on a goldmine in potential revenue from golf tourism.

This can only be fully realised through partnering with local government.

The Ilembe Chamber of Business recently hosted a workshop aimed at setting the wheels in motion for establishing Ilembe as a premier golf tourism destination.

Golf KwaZulu-Natal owner, Mike McNamara said South Africa was the 12th most popular golf destination in the world but people would rather go to the courses that they know, like Fancourt, Arabella and St Francis Links – all in the Western and Eastern Cape.

“Zimbali, Umhlali, Prince’s Grant and Simbithi golf courses, situated in KwaDukuza, are all tourism ready and rank among the top 100 South African golf courses for 2015, but are not being promoted overseas,” said McNamara.

He said golf was the number one participatory sport with 54 million golfers worldwide of which one quarter go on golf holidays planned around playing as much golf as possible.

“Golfers spend about 120 percent more than the general tourist per person per day and as such is a very high value tourism market.”

He said the Ilembe district needed to do what other countries and regions like Mauritius, Mexico, Thailand, the Algarve region of Portugal and the Belek in Turkey have done.

“The Algarve region has only 26 golf courses but recorded a million rounds of tourist golf in 2015. This translates into about 38 500 rounds of golf per course per year by tourists alone. A golf course can generally only accommodate up to a total of 50 000 rounds per year.”

Bernadine Galliver, associate director at Grant Thornton, Durban, said a strong golf tourism industry could increase visitor demand and spend, create direct employment, be a catalyst for infrastructure development and investment, supplier development through the use of local suppliers and people development through training people in the area in industry related skills.

“Golf tourism spend will flow through to the rest of the district,” said Galliver.

However, Cobus Oelofse, Ilembe Chamber CEO, highlighted that establishing the Ilembe district as a golf tourism destination could only be achieved if local government bought into the project. He said the private sector (golf courses, guest houses and hotels) did not have the money to put the area on the international map on their own.

“A project such as this can only succeed if the private sector, Ilembe and KwaDukuza municipalities and Enterprise Ilembe work together as a team,” said Oelofse.

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